Saicho Sparkling Tea - Darjeeling (with gift box) (750ml) 0% Abv

Country/Region: Bottled in UK

Background: Charlie and Natalie (husband and wife), received their PhDs in Food Science and have always had a passion for food and drink. Unfortunately, Natalie can’t drink alcohol (she turns as red as a tomato with even the smallest sip) and as such, she hasn’t been able to fully enjoy the food and wine pairings that Charlie so loves.

Charlie and Natalie got an idea to create a non-alcoholic drink with ingredients that possessed the same sort of complexity and heritage that wine does. Then, they enthusiastically threw themselves into the pain staking, 2-year process of sampling and experimentation. Having tested hundreds of different varieties from around the world they eventually settled on their first 3 teas.

Winemaking: Sparkling Tea (Non-Alcoholic), Cold-brewed for twenty-four hours to extract the most delicate and complex flavours from the tea leaves, Saicho teas are then finely balanced with a hint of sweetness and a dash of acidity.

Darjeeling is often referred to as the “Champagne of teas” due to its deep fruity and floral flavour. There are four periods of cultivation (or flushes) every year, which each have unique characteristics. This particular tea is hand-picked in the summer when the muscatel flavour is at its most pronounced. .

Tasting note: This black tea was grown in the foothills of the Himalayas in Darjeeling, India. Harvested in the summer to develop its unique Darjeeling muscatel flavour, the tea has notes of mandarin, ginger and wood spice and gentle, dry tannins.

Food Pairing: Served chilled to between six andeight degrees, it worked well with charcuterie, chicken tagine, and lasagne, as well as chocolate, where it tasted quite malty and caramelly.